Skippack History

Posted by Michael Shaw in Visit | 3 comments

Traveling Along Route 73: The Gateway to Skippack

Drive down our main thoroughfare in Skippack, dear reader, look to the left and right. You will not see Dunkin’ Donuts or Dairy Queen. You will see buildings from the nineteenth century, nearly all in good repair, delightful to the eye with individuality and detail. We cannot stop the relentless march of progress, but we can preserve a few examples of beauty specific to a slower time.

Traveling from the east along Route 73, look to your left as you enter Skippack. You will see the Indenhofen farmhouse, a stone structure that dates back to the 1720s. Here I am outside, sitting with Benjamin Webb, the remarkable, independent-thinking president of the Skippack Historical Society. Hello Ben.

Ben is still in a youthful phase in his journey through life, but he appreciates the wisdom of the past.

“Did you ever see something built 100 years ago and observe its quality?” Ben asks me. “I am amazed by human ingenuity, what people were able to accomplish within the limitations of their time.”

Rescuing the Allebach-Cholet Farm in Skippack

When Skippack Township was deciding whether or not to preserve another historic property, the Allebach-Cholet Farm, Ben stepped up to the plate. He joined forces with Brad DeForest, another member of the Skippack Historical Society who serves on the Township Planning Commission. An aside: Brad also provides technical and marketing support to the blog you are reading right at this moment.

The history lovin’ tag team of Ben and Brad saved the Allebach-Cholet farm, working together to hammer out an agreement between the township and the Skippack Historical Society. Ben now rents this historic farmhouse from the society and lives there with his wife Jess, devoting time and energy to restoring the farmhouse and overseeing the work he cannot perform himself.

The Continental Army in Skippack

Sitting at a picnic bench outside the Indenhofen farmhouse, Ben describes to me the movements of the Continental Army in this area during the Revolutionary War. I feel like I am attending a college lecture in an open field, without receiving a bill for tuition.

Living outdoors, the soldiers marched to Germantown, Skippack, Towamencin, Whitpain, Gulph Mills, and Valley Forge. Listening to Ben, it feels almost shameful that I hop in my car and drive to these neighborhoods without giving a second thought to their historic significance. It was in Pennsylvania that the Continental Army transformed from a bunch of farmers and rabble-rousers to a disciplined fighting force.

My house in Skippack is across the street from the Indenhofen Farm. On the very property where I sleep every night, long ago encamped the men of the Continental Army. Because of their sacrifice and hardship, my grandfather, along with millions of other desperate people from all over the world, was able to come to America, find hope and start a new life. Because of their sacrifice and hardship, I practice my faith without fear. Because of the their sacrifice and hardship, dear reader, I am free to write in this blog whatever I want.